Love was their undoing
by xfmoon
Summary: Some people are willing to do anything for love, and Will and Fitz are no exception. Just to clarify this is not slash. Also Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!
1. Chapter 1 - Will

**A/N:** So this will be a little different, it's in two parts, the first one is about Will and the second is about Fitz, but it's still mostly FitzSimmons centered. So no worries.

 **Spoilers:** For everything up to and including 3x10 Maveth.

 **Disclaimer:** My only undoing is the fact that I don't own the rights to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

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Love was his undoing. 14 years he had survived on this planet. He'd cheated death, on multiple occasions. Only to be brutally cut down in one of _Its_ freakish sandstorms. Truth be told, he didn't mind much, the years he'd been alone after his crew had gone mad had been long and lonely. But then Jemma had come along, lighting up his world - which was pretty dark to begin with. He had been happier in the few months they had spent together than he could remember ever having been even before he left on this mission. So sacrificing himself, so that she could escape, so she could get back home, to Fitz and all the other people she loved, and that loved her. She deserved that. She had done her part, she had given him hope, kept him going. This was the only way he could repay her, and he did it gladly.

War, death, madness... three very powerful forces all contained in one being. But however mighty _It_ was, it had not been strong enough to kill him, not until he fell in love. Love really was the greatest driving force of all. And though he'd known that loving her was a hopeless quest - she was clearly already in love with this Fitz guy - he had relished in the little time they _did_ have, the moments she was still there with him. Because _she_ was brilliant, and if she thought there was even the slightest chance of finding a way to get back, and if Fitz was even half as smart as her, there was a good possibility that they could figure it out - even across the Universe - together, but apart. And then she'd be home and would want nothing more to do with him, so he enjoyed the now.

She had had that hope, for the longest time, right up until their failed attempt at delivering that message in a bottle to Fitz. The planet was getting to her. Even though she had been right in all her calculations. It was only a matter of time. But she had lost all hope and that's when she had turned to him for support, thinking she might never see the people she cared about again. He'd been there, lost all hope, although he didn't have that many to return to back home, at least there were real food, and warmth and wine, and really any place was better than here.

After a little while he'd somehow been naïve enough to believe that she'd settled, chosen him over her return. Until that flare had appeared, and instantly ignited a hope in her. It was just a spark, and he hadn't noticed it before, but it was as clear as day that it was something that had been missing from her for a little time. Now that it was back full force, he could see how well it suited her. This was who she was supposed to be. He was just sad that it wasn't him that had lit the flame ablaze, set her soul on fire. It was Fitz, clearly he had not given up on her either during all this time. They rightly deserved to be together. And that was why he was happy to give up his life for hers. Happiness was flighty and love was rare, and therefore it needed to be treasured.

He had known that he was only on borrowed time, merely a replacement for the real deal. Love was strange that way. He loved her, and she might pretend that she loved him too, but her heart belonged to someone else, it was as plain as day. And he wasn't going to stand in the way of her happiness, her happy ending. It was too late for him anyway, but she still had a shot. And as he lay there, face pressed against the sand, his eyes threatening to slowly close the world out, he realised that the Universe had had a plan after all, it had kept him there for a reason, she was what he'd stayed alive for all those years, before she was even there _she_ was his true mission, his purpose. And now that he'd fulfilled his quest, now that he'd kept her safe and alive, and helped her get back to where she was supposed to be, he could finally relax and do the one thing he hadn't been able to do before, he could leave.

He exhaled one last time as he slipped away. Love might have been his undoing, but it was also his saving grace.


	2. Chapter 2 - Fitz

**xXx**

Love was his undoing. He'd known this girl for more than 10 years and everything had been fine. But then he'd gone and fallen in love with her. He didn't even know how or when it had happened, it just did. And that's when everything went to hell. His feelings went from the normal run of the day-to-day, to being anxious, scared, jealous, afraid, terrified, relieved, happy, crushed, disappointed, angry, despairing, and numb - representing more or less the entire emotional spectrum.

Love was not a simple walk in the park, it was an endless heart ripping experience. And the constant danger they kept finding themselves in didn't help the matter much.

Already he'd given up the world for her, more than once in fact. And there was no doubt in his mind that he'd do it all over again if he had the chance. Love was worth it, and she was most definitely more than worth it. That, and he could literally not imagine a world where she didn't exist. He'd tried that, and he wouldn't recommend it. Like a well-oiled machine without its most vital parts, his systems had broken down completely, a total meltdown, crashed and burned. He'd become consumed by doubt, anger, and hatred. Burrowed himself in his work, trying to find a way to get her back, gone out on every crazy limb that had presented themselves to him, almost getting himself killed in the process. Nothing else mattered to him. Getting her back was his sole priority, everything else just paled in comparison.

And by some luck, or more likely science, he had succeeded.

But love must have made him crazy, because none of this was logical, he had willingly suffered through brain damage caused by lack of oxygen, just so she could survive - her having dragged him along, minimizing her own chances of survival was another discussion. But all that pain, the thought of never being himself again, being who he were, was scary. After all that, it had taken him a while to understand her reaction - just as a friend, not anything more... yet - to the "new" him. But now he got it, after having been on the other side of the equation. Helping someone heal was just as hard as being the one doing the healing. Luckily they were both young, and therefore they had both been able to recover quite well.

Anyway that was just how it was. Each time a new threat resurfaced his first thought was of Simmons..., of where she was, if she was okay, and how he could protect her from being hurt? Over time he'd learned to duck, or if that wasn't an option, to fight back, but Simmons had a different approach to danger, it was almost as if she was drawn to it. She liked to help, and he couldn't really blame her for that, but it contributed to putting her in situations that he wasn't comfortable with her being in. However it did seem she had learned a little self-preservation while she'd been away, which was fine, but it still didn't stop him from worrying.

Some days he wasn't sure if he was built to love this intensely, the strain of things. So far it hadn't really done him any favours. But he only had to look over at her to know that it was all worth it. People might think love was his downfall, his pressure point or ruin, but the truth was that without love he wouldn't be who he was, he would never have become brave enough, or strong enough to fight evil in all the forms that they had encountered. Without Jemma Simmons, Leopold Fitz would have never been the man he was today. Love might have been his undoing but only in so far that it had killed the boy and made the man. A transformation much more comprehensive than that of the terrigen mist crystals. If love had done anything to him it was make him a better version of himself. And all in all that was something Fitz was happy to live with.

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 **A/N:** All these men ready to give up their life for Jemma..., well I can't say that I blame them. And Will was nice, but I'm not sad that he's dead. FitzSimmons shipper all the way!

I only really had the idea for the Will chapter, so the Fitz one is all over the place, but it just seemed fitting to put it in considering how much he has done for love.


End file.
